Zhangjiagang company manufactures world's largest known disproportionation reactor

The super-large-diameter forged-and-welded disproportionation reactor manufactured by Zhangjiagang Chemical Machinery (Suzhou) Heavy Equipment Co is shipped on Aug 21 to the project site of its customer. [Photo/WeChat account: zjgtvnews]

A super-large-diameter forged-and-welded disproportionation reactor manufactured by Zhangjiagang Chemical Machinery (Suzhou) Heavy Equipment Co was shipped on Aug 21 to the project site of its customer.

The disproportionation reactor is a core piece of equipment in paraxylene production units. Paraxylene is an important raw material in the polyester industry chain and is used across a broad range of sectors, such as chemical fiber and packaging. As the "heart" of the production process, the reactor must operate for extended periods under high-temperature, high-pressure and demanding hydrogen service conditions, which call for safety and stability of a superior degree.

"Among similar units currently known worldwide, this equipment has the largest diameter and single-unit weight," said Yin Pengcheng, production director of Zhangjiagang Chemical Machinery (Suzhou) Heavy Equipment Co. The reactor has a diameter of 10 meters, a single-unit weight of 675 metric tons and a shell wall thickness of 195 millimeters, with all key specifications far exceeding those of conventional refining and petrochemical reactors.